The UK’s student mental health charity.

Student Minds works with students, service users, professionals and academics to develop new and innovative ways to improve the mental health of students.

We empower students and members of the university community to develop the knowledge, confidence and skills to look after their own mental health, support others, and create change, so that all in higher education can thrive.

Key to our approach is ensuring that young people have agency, whilst empowering the community around them to have the health literacy and tools to respond. We want to ensure students have access to timely, youth-friendly support and resources. We’re focused on prevention, ensuring that more young people learn how to build their own wellbeing toolkit. We train students and staff in universities across the UK to deliver student-led peer support programmes as well as research-driven campaigns and workshops. By working collaboratively across sectors, we share best practice and ensure that the student voice influences decisions about student mental health.

Our history

Student Minds (formerly Student Run Self Help) was started in 2009 following the success of our first student - led support group for students experiencing mental health difficulties at university. Having experienced her own mental health difficulties at university, Dr Nicola Byrom set up the organisation aiming to make it easier for students with an eating disorder to access support. The first groups, run by trained student volunteers, were founded on the principles that everyone deserves easy access to support, and that talking to others can really aid the recovery process.

In 2013, the charity re-branded as Student Minds and merged with Mental Wealth UK, a network of student-led campaign groups, helping students to become more aware of the importance of mental wellbeing and to encourage conversations about mental health.

Student Minds has grown significantly over the years, supporting students with a range of mental health difficulties and working with all members of the university community to promote positive wellbeing.

Our strategic priorities

Our 2017-20 strategy focuses our efforts across three key levels:

Empowering the role and agency of students. We are continuing to grow a strong student-led mental health movement to tackle stigma, increase belonging and campaign for change locally and nationally. We know that students are more likely to talk to friends and peers about their problems, so it makes sense for students to be given the skills to support each other safely and refer to further support. We deliver sustainable formal and informal peer support interventions, co-produced with students and professionals which build wellbeing and go to where students are.

Supporting organisations to deliver on a ‘whole-university approach’. We have been supporting universities to co-produce mental health action plans with students and have been exploring longer-term support mechanisms for universities, students' unions and accommodation providers in developing their approach. We recently announced that we will lead the development of the University Mental Health Charter, ensuring we’re tackling the barriers to creating healthy student communities collaboratively and systemically.

Tackling the biggest national gaps and challenges. As the lead charity partner in the new research network ‘SMaRteN’, we will continue to research and tackle the inequalities, barriers and knowledge gaps that exist in student mental health. Transition points also create gaps for student support. We’re delivering a range of projects to ensure better transitions and services for students between education institutions, health providers and the graduate workplace.

Behind the scenes we continue to ensure we run a well-managed, sustainably funded and impact driven charity, maintaining positive employee feedback and a strong communications strategy that increases the profile of student mental health.

Why do we focus on student mental health and the university community?

Nearly 50% of young people enter Higher Education. For many, university is the first time living independently away from established networks of family support. In adjusting to the student lifestyle, many students struggle to maintain healthy day-to-day routines and experience academic, social and financial pressures. In fact, roughly a third of students report psychological distress (Bewick, 2008) during these formative years.

In relation to diagnosable mental illness, many of these lifestyle pressures can result in irregular sleeping patterns, poor diet, work pressures, lack of exercise and alcohol consumption, which are all risk factors for developing mental illness. The median age of Higher Education students overlaps the peak age of onset, with 75% of all mental health difficulties developing by mid-20s (RCPsych, 2011), though of course not all students are young and many mature students face the tripple pressure of student life, working and supporting a family.

Anxiety and depression are the most commonly experienced mental illness in the student population, but students also experience eating disorders, self-harm, OCD, bipolar disorder, psychosis and personality disorders.

All of this can contribute to decreased performance and interpersonal problems (ACHA, 2007), leading to academic failure and dropout, job difficulties and negative social outcomes (Patel et al, 2007). Tragically, in recent years there has been an increase in the number of student deaths by suicide (IPPR, 2017).

There are substantial barriers to providing adequate care for the student population associated with many students living between multiple cities. Both Universities and the NHS are struggling to meet demand, with insufficient resources leading to long waiting times. Stigma, the fear of being judged and low disclosure also presents challenges. Particular groups of students can face further barriers in accessing support, and many staff that work in universities feel they need more training and support to respond to students or colleagues in distress.

We believe it doesn’t need to be like this. We think that all students and members of the university community should be able to thrive at university. Effective early- intervention, building health literacy and other preventative approaches, as well as providing ongoing support for both those with and those supporting someone with mental health difficulties could improve the futures of millions of people.